Yetta's Legacy
by samanddianefan10
Summary: a sequel to the brilliant A Legacy of Love by KrisShannon, written with permission and many thanks.


It had been a year since Yetta passed, and life had for the most part moved on for the Fine/Sheffield household. Fran was anticipating the birth of twins and was throwing herself into impending motherhood. She had maxed out several of Max's credit cards, and had decorated the nursery after finding out they were having a boy and a girl. Yet still, there was part of her that was missing, something that not even money could replace.

It was Yetta. Not a day went by that she didn't miss her grandmother, and there was such a hole in her heart that even Max couldn't fill. It was indescribable, the pain she felt, and not even the normally chatty former nanny could put into words how she felt about Yetta. As try as hard as Max would get her to open up, Fran remained quiet and stoic on the one subject that was so near and dear to her heart.

Fran had adored Yetta, theirs was a unique but special bond. They'd talked, laughed, shared, cried together, and Fran couldn't help but relive those memories. When Fran was a teenager and needed someone to talk to, it was Yetta she went to. It was Yetta who explained boys to Fran, and it was Yetta Fran went to during her first case of broken heart.

During the latter years, it was easy to forget that her grandmother was once a vital woman, but Fran never forgot. Never. Sometimes she still made Fran laugh, albeit on accident, but still there was something special about the older lady that not even her worst days could make her granddaughter stop loving her. She was a grandmother, a mother, and most of all, a lady, and Fran could never forget that.

"Darling, what's wrong? You seem a million miles from here," Max commented as he lay beside his wife in bed one night. Fran was growing and it seemed almost as if she would outgrow their bed soon, but that was no matter to Max. What mattered was that his wife was troubled, and when she ached, he did too.

"Nothing," Fran sighed as she set aside the cheap romance novel she was reading. She may have married into money, but sometimes it was the simple things in life like that cheap romance novel that she looked forward to the most.

"Come on now, Fran? What's the matter? Are you worried about the babies? I have all the faith in the world that you'll be a terrific mother."

With that, Fran broke into tears, and Max reached over to comfort her.

"What's the matter, dear? Tell me. Obviously you have something on your mind. I'm your husband. I care for you more than you'll ever know. Please talk to me..say something..."

"It's Yetta."

"Oh." With that, a lightbulb went off in Max's mind. It was obvious the mood swings were not due to the pregnancy, but due to the loss of the beloved Yetta. "Oh Fran, what can I say to make you feel better? I feel as if words are not enough, but I wish to help you in any way I can."

"What can you say? I'm about to be a mother for the first time and Yetta won't be here to see it," Fran sobbed.

"You're wrong."

Fran looked at him in shock. "What in the world are you talking about?"

"Isn't it obvious? You've been a mother since the day you walked into my children's lives. You've been there for them through thick and thin, and I happen to know Yetta was proud of you. I know the pride I feel for you, so how could Yetta not have felt the same?"

Fran smiled through her tears. "Oh Max, you can be so sweet."

"It's true. Maybe I didn't show it but I knew it from the start that you were the one for me and my children. When you walked into my life I had no idea how my life would change...for the better. I never dreamed of giving my heart to another woman after I lost Sarah, and then you came along in your little miniskirts. I don't know what I'd do if I were to lose you as well."

Suddenly it dawned on Fran that she wasn't the only one dealing with a loss. She couldn't imagine what it would be like to lose the one you vowed to honor for the rest of your life. It all made sense- Max's hesitance, his reluctance to love again. And though it had frustrated her, she realized it was worth the wait on their wedding day when he consoled her through a case of wedding jitters. And the fact that he was there, lying next to her, when she needed him the most meant the world to her.

"I love you, Max." Her tears of heartache turned to ones of joy, pure joy, as she realized how lucky she was not only to have met Max but to have loved Yetta.

"I love you too, my darling." With that, Max kissed his wife on the forehead right before she drifted off into the best night's sleep she'd had in a year.

She would always miss Yetta, but as long as she had Max and the kids- all of them- then she knew that her legacy would live on- forever.

The end


End file.
